I just got back from Sharm, and I used Emperor Divers. I hired a private guide, a wonderful guy named Dan Zanoni, and he guided me personally through the entire time I was there. I was really surprised how inexpensive it was to hire a private guide. Each day, there were no more than 10 divers on the boat, and there was shade to spare. I cannot say enough good things about Emperor Divers, especially Dan.
I received my Advanced Open Water certification while I was diving there, and especially since I had Dan's 100% attention on me, I felt that I got everything out of the course that was available. He worked with me on Peak Buoyancy Control, and once I got that down to a science, all of my dives went very, very well.
Prior to my trip, I was told by a very experienced diver that he would never dive in the Red Sea again because he felt that they ran "cattle boat" trips. I felt that my experience was quite the opposite. The crew was very attentive. By the time I got onto the boat and sat down, one of the crew was helping me off with my BCD. All I had to do was look at one of them, and they would jump to my assistance taking off my wetsuit.
If it were not for the Cairo Airport, I would probably take another vacation there soon. Be prepared for total chaos if you're flying into Cairo. I spent two days in Cairo / Giza for the obligatory camel ride & pyramid tour. I had a great time overall.
I stayed at the Tropitel Naama Bay, and Emperor Divers is just up the hill and turn left. It was an easy 5 minute walk each morning. Actually, in my excitement, it was more like 3 minutes... If you stay at the Tropitel, get a massage in their Health Spa. It was a great experience!
There was a lot of plankton in the water while I was diving, so my photos didn't come out as perfect as I would have liked, but I got some good shots.
PM me if you would like Dan's contact info. Emperor Divers has an easy-to-find website, and it's quite user-friendly. I highly recommend their services.
JR
